I love reading about Lincoln’s proclamation creating Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, near the end of another year of bloody civil war, Lincoln tells the American people that, apart from the war going on, they still have a lot to be thankful for. It’s been a good year for crops, no foreign nations have taken advantage of the internal strife to launch their own aggression, development of the nation’s industry is still progressing, and the rule of law is still in place.

He doesn’t make reference to pilgrims or indians or horns of plenty, but enumerates the things that the American people are likely to overlook and reminds them that they should be grateful to the source of their provision. He goes on to say:

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

I like how he reminds the nation of its perverseness and disobedience and asks it to practice true religion and intercede on behalf of orphans and widows. Orphans and widows are the sub-story in every day’s paper now. Are we hoping the government has some good programs in place for them? Sweaty work, that. Particularly the extra $12 a year in taxes to pay for them.

One thing this makes me think about is that Lincoln’s emphasis wasn’t as much on what we are to be thankful for, as who we ought to be thankful to. It was a reminder about our vertical relationship, not merely our attitudes toward objects, people and circumstances.